Disability Advocates of Kent County

DISABILITY ADVOCATES OF KENT COUNTY (DAKC)

Disability Advocates of Kent County seeks a proven leader to direct the organization’s individual services and systems change work. The ideal candidate will have 3 to 5 years of experience supervising and developing disability services and 3 to 5 years of experience in providing assistance to individuals with disabilities or in community organizing/public policy work. Excellent written and verbal communication skills required. Starting salary $52,000. Send resume and cover letter by June 1 to DAKC, 3600 Camelot SE, GR 49546. EOE. Persons with disabilities encouraged to apply.

Title:  Program Director

Employee Name:  vacant
Supervisor:  Executive Director
Pay Grade Level:  6

Summary

The Program Director will coordinate, facilitate and implement the activities of DAKC staff and teams providing information & referral, independent living and individual advocacy services, peer support and systems change.  These activities will result in the following outcomes: (1) consumers achieving and maintaining independence in the community, (2) increasing the accessibility of the wider community through systems change victories and (3) developing relationships with community partners.  As of May 15, 2012, the Program Director will supervise:

• The Housing Access and Transportation (HAT) Program Manager
• The Occupational Therapy (OT) Services Program Manager
• One or more Independent Living (IL) Program Managers/Team Leaders OR

• Information and Referral/IL Specialist(s) (currently two persons)
• Nursing Facility Transition Services (NFTS) Specialist(s) (currently two persons)
• Employment Specialist(s) (currently four persons)

• Interns and Volunteers

In addition, the Program Director may provide individual supports to consumers as needed and be directly engaged in systems change efforts as time allows.

Essential Functions

1. Provide coordination and supervision of all programs provided by DAKC.
• Provide supervision, support and direction for team leaders and assigned program staff.
• Provide administrative oversight in building grassroots and advocacy capacity with the HAT Team and other staff.
• Ensure that program staff are completing and maintaining all Consumer Service Records and Work Log entries in DAKC’s database in compliance with the Federal Quality Assurance Standards and Indicators and State requirements.
• Monitors direct service contracts and goals to assure proper consumer services and community activities are being provided.
• Attend meetings with agency funding sources and other community organizations to discuss critical issues and improve interagency communications.

2. Responsible for the writing and submission of required grant and contract reports.
• Submit timely reports and billings as appropriate to funding sources and administrative staff regarding the activities of the DAKC programs.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and year end reports to funding sources as required.

3. Develops new agency programs in cooperation with the Program Managers, Management Team, and other appropriate personnel.
• Coordinate and support the planning for new services through Program Managers and other key staff.
• Participate with other community organizations in joint efforts to research and develop new services for persons with disabilities.

4. Develop and implement a quality assurance and customer satisfaction process for all DAKC programs and services.
• Coordinate the program evaluation process for individual services and community organizing efforts.
• Develop and maintain quality assurance systems for program accountability.

5. Represent DAKC at various public forums where issues related to disabilities are discussed and advocacy needs demonstrated.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with DAKC’s partner agencies. Serves on appropriate community committees and task forces related to issues of disability advocacy.
• Assists Executive Director with agency affiliations and memberships and attends those meetings as assigned.
• Assist with community presentations and workshops.

6. Actively participate in the Directors’ meetings and complete assigned tasks.  Assist in development of policies and procedures for DAKC as it relates to compliance with IL standards and indicators and other contractual requirements.

7. Provide reports to DAKC’s Board of Directors concerning DAKC’s programs and activities.  This includes supporting board committees’ work, as assigned.

8. Other related duties as assigned.

Expected Skills and Attributes

• Commitment to and knowledge of IL movement and philosophy and person-first perspective which supports DAKC’s mission and core value
• Interpersonal skills and ability to participate in and work to build a collaborative team.
• Professional written and oral communication skills, including public speaking competence.
• Ability to follow direction and take initiative with exceptional time management and organizational skills.
• Accountability to consumer confidentiality.
• Recognition of colleague and consumers’ strengths and facilitation of empowerment principles.
• Self-awareness to assess the need to obtain interpersonal and job development skills.
• Maintain a positive, strong, credible, professional and interpersonal relationship with all parties relevant to DAKC programs and projects, and represent the best interests of DAKC at all times.
• Proficient in Microsoft Officeä program applications, e-mail and Internet research.

Required Communication

Qualifications and Important Requirements:

• Education.  Bachelor or master degree in social work, business, law or related field; may consider equivalent work experience.

• Experience.  Three to five years’ experience in providing assistance to individuals on a wide variety of IL issues and development of training modules or in community organizing/public policy work.  Three to five years’ experience in supervising program activities and development.

• Work Environment and Physical Abilities.  This is a standard office environment.  Extensive keyboard activity and telephone communication are expected.  While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, and hear; reach with hands and arms, use hand to fingers to handle; no special vision requirements apart from computer operation.  In addition, attendance at meetings in and out of the office is expected; therefore, self-identified mode of transportation is required.

• Employment Status.  For purposes of employment standards, this position is categorized as “exempt” from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Benefits are available pursuant to DAKC’s policies for a fulltime, salaried employee. 

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